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TRANSCRIPT: Twitter Dev Chat August 21, 2013 - Class Changes

Members of the LOTRO team answered over 40 questions during a recent live developer chat on twitter. The focus was on the Class Changes coming with Helm’s Deep this fall.

The members of the dev team who took part, and what they’re working on.

Matt "Hoarsedev" Zimmitti - Lead Systems Designer (Classes)

Jared “Amlug”Hall-Dugas – Senior Designer (MTX)

Trevor “Jinjaah” McEwen – Associate Systems Designer (Classes)

Erika “Deviled_Egg” Ng – Associate Systems Designer (Classes)

Rick "Sapience" Heaton - Community Manager

Hi Everyone, we're going to start just a little early with questions submitted via the forums. Here we go! #LOTRO

Q1: bgriggs: Are the current virtues and traits being incorporated into the new system at all? #LOTRO
A1: HoarseDev: Virtues will remain mostly the same. Traits are now completely rolled into the new system. #LOTRO

Q2: Yulin-Gladden: How will these changes effect Mounted combat? Are those skils getting a revamp as well? #LOTRO
A2: Deviled_Egg: Any benefits gained from these new traits will be isolated from Mounted Combat. #LOTRO

Q3: Leixy: Using war-steeds as a template, how will trait points be earned and spent on trait trees? #LOTRO
A3: HoarseDev: You’ll earn a point every other level. You’ll also earn points from some deeds. #LOTRO
A3a:You’ll choose a specialization at an early level that will grant specific bonuses and affect the cost of traits as you spend them #LOTRO

Q4: WertyJohn: Are you going to revamp combat animations too? #LOTRO
A4: Jinjaah: We are addressing animations on a case by case basis.#LOTRO
A4a: Some are far too long and are being shortened to increase responsiveness.#LOTRO
A4b: Ferocious Strikes for Champions is an example of this. #LOTRO

Q5: banjolier: For players who spent TP to unlock trait slots, how will you convert our existing purchases to the new system? #LOTRO
A5: HoarseDev: Your specialization choice gives you access to bonuses as you spend points. #LOTRO
A5a: These are unlocked in the same way as the old slots and those purchases carry over to the new system. #LOTRO

Q6: Laire: Will we be able to save different trait set-ups? If so, how many? #LOTRO
A6: HoarseDev: Two set-ups to start. You can purchase more if you like. #LOTRO

Q7: Grhysli: How much of this new system is going to be gated behind the LOTRO Store? #LOTRO
A7: HoarseDev: Only the slots similar to the old Premium/F2P purchases and additional builds after the two you get for free. #LOTRO

Q8: Schinderhannes: Will the update allow us to use 4 legendary traits at the same time? #LOTRO
A8: HoarseDev: No, but the ones you have will be more potent. #LOTRO
A8a: Deviled_Egg: Legendary traits are now a part of each trait tree, and are available for purchase at the end of the tree. #LOTRO
A8b: There is also a Legendary Passive bonus that depends on your specialization.#LOTRO
A8c: This will be unlocked when you spend a certain number of points overall. #LOTRO

Q9: Mildford: Will the new traits system be offered to creeps too? #LOTRO
A9: Jinjaah: Creeps will be getting Corruption Set Bonuses but not full on trait trees. #LOTRO

Q10: Grimdi: Will there be detailed dev diaries on the upcoming class/system changes before HD release? #LOTRO
A10: Deviled_Egg: We are planning to release dev diaries for each class. #LOTRO
A10a: Sapience: I see many long hours of editing in my future... #LOTRO

Q11: Raven-EU: What was the primary driver(s) for this change? #LOTRO
A11: Jinjaah: I think there were two main things that drove these changes: #LOTRO
A11a: 1. We wanted to design the trait trees in such a way that as soon as you leave the intro, #LOTRO
A11b: your trait line starts to play as it was envisioned instead of later on down the road when you began to collect traits. #LOTRO
A11c: 2. We really wanted each trait line to sort of stand out from the rest and reduce some of the class homogenization #LOTRO
A11d: that had slowly occurred over the years. #LOTRO

Q12: Zombielord: Will retraiting still require our character visiting a bard/class trainer? (Hope not) #LOTRO
A12: Jinjaah: Nope! Respeccing your trait tree can be done on the fly so long as you are out of combat. #LOTRO
A12a: Deviled_Egg: The process is similar to how you re-trait in Mounted Combat #LOTRO

Q13: Silmelin: Can minstrels still switch (with in game silver) between being as strong as possible War-speech minstrels #LOTRO
Q13a: who can enjoy all the solo content of the game, and as strong as possible healers who'll get invited to Instances and Raids? #LOTRO
A13: HoarseDev: You can switch builds with silver. #LOTRO

Q14: Judi: Will there be a new class added to the game? #LOTRO
A14: HoarseDev: Not for Helm’s Deep. #LOTRO

Q15: Laire: Using all of their points, on average how many active skills does a 85 toon have? #LOTRO
A15: Jinjaah: Our goal, and it isn’t the same across the board, is for all classes to have around 20 skills after spending all their points.
A15a: Things like travel paths will not count towards this cap. #LOTRO

Q16: medwulf: will the class changes affect LI's and Legacies at all? #LOTRO
A16: HoarseDev: Ugh, we have a lot of updating to do. #LOTRO

Q17: Moochi: How will the new system afford us the same flexibility we have now, #LOTROQ17a: without buying many trait sets through the store? #LOTRO
A17: Jinjaah: A lot of time and effort was put into the construction of the trees to encourage spending points #LOTRO
A17a: in trees that you did not specialize in. #LOTRO
A17b: The new system should offer various forms of hybridization to explore.#LOTRO

Q18: @BhorisTheSpider Will the class changes mean a L95 character may be less potent (healing/damage) than an corresponding L85 character? #LOTRO
A18: HoarseDev: They'll be more potent in their specialization. This will come at the cost of broad utility.

Q19: @greendragoon Is there going to be any effort to streamline the Warden's massive (and convoluted) abilitiy list? #LOTRO
A19: DeviledEgg In short, yes. Some gambits are being trimmed, some are being placed in different specialization.
A19a: The total number of gambits will be decided by how you choose to specialize.

Q20: @osmihu Can you give some specific examples of specializations? #LOTRO
A20: Jinjaah The hunter could choose between the bowmaster or huntsman. #LOTRO
A20a: Huntsman has less range, but can induct on the move. #LOTRO
A20b: Where the bowmaster has much greater range, but must plant his feet to deal damage. #LOTRO

Q21: @ForgotMyGambits Hunters currently have a lot of skills. Will there be skill consolidation? #LOTRO
A21: JinJaah Yes. There is some skill consolidation to reduce the overall skill count to around 20.
A21a: Per specialization. Travel skills won't count towards that number. #LOTRO

Q22: @brrzap can we change specializations later or is this a 1-time choice? #lotro
A22: DeviledEGG Yes you can change your specializations. Respecing your tree will also allow you to choose a new specialization.

Q23: @osmihu Will skills still be purchased from the trainer or gained from the tree? #LOTRO
A23: JinJaah Some will be gained from the tree, others will be auto-granted based on level. #LOTRO

Q24: @mavegibson Will there be dramatic changes to the skills we have, and will there be skills specific to our trait lines? #LOTRO
A24: All: Yes and yes!

Q25: @ElinneaG Will new characters be able to see all the traits/skills before choosing a specialization? #LOTRO
A25: HoarseDev Yes. You'll be able to see all specializations and trees before deciding. #LOTRO

Q26: @Gihalahad will players have to sacrifice surviveability for damage?
A26: HoarseDev. Yes and vice versa. Though there is room to dip into both.

Q27: @nick_wilbur you guys keep saying specialization will be chosen at a low level & bonuses granted. Initially, what can we expect with toons at 85?
A27: DeviledEGG We'll autogrant you the correct number of points for your level. #LOTRO
A27a: Deeds that previously gave traits will give trait points. #LOTRO
A27b: You can choose your specialization and spend your points when you login when HD goes live. #LOTRO

Q28: @landlover64 how different will the play style of our characters be with the changes to how they play now? #LOTRO
A28: DeviledEgg They'll still feel like the class you know, just better versions. #LOTRO
A28a: Jinjaah They should feel better catered to the role they were destined to fill. #LOTRO

Q29: @miofli Will certain currently unused trait lines, eg the yellow hunter line, change role? #LOTRO
A29: Jinjaah Traitlines like the hunter's yellow line are being revamped more than others. #LOTRO
A29a: DeviledEGG In general we want each traitline to feel just as good as the next. #LOTRO

Q30: @corynettnin Classes like cappies and champs are considered off-tanks. Will these changes move them closer or further from being "real" tanks?
A30: DeviledEGG Each tanking specialization will be effective, but in its own way. #LOTRO

Q31: @skinnynakedboy will all hunter traps become skills and are there going to be more traps available as they have potential but are underrated #LOTRO
A31: Jinjahh Hunter traps are becoming skills.
A31a: They will be usable in combat and some have had their potency changed to make them feel less 'underrated'. #LOTRO

Q32: @Aelrindel what about creeps classes and traits? #LOTRO
A32: Jinjaah Creeps will be getting corruption set bonuses. #LOTRO
A32a: These bonuses give various buffs and effects based on the corruptions slotted. #LOTRO

Q33: @Scoed To respec for silver, will we have to refund and respend all points, or just the parts we want to change? #LOTRO
A33: HoarseDev It's all or nothing. #LOTRO

Q34: @Ranni Will the trap skills share a common cool down? #LOTRO
A34: Jinjaah No, they will each have their own cool down. #LOTRO

Q35: @Merry_Forest88 Can we expect increase of power and abilities from under-power Lore-Master Pets and Captain Herald? #LOTRO
A35: DeviledEGG We are trying to better balance the potency of LM pets and Capt. Heralds. #LOTRO

Q36: @eldaeriel can you tell us any timeframes? For dev diaries, beta testing of changes #lotro
A36: Sapience You can expect to see them "Soon". You'll get an 11.3 Dev diary first. End of the week. #LOTRO

Q37: @Lord_Dolvic will we still have "use skill X" deeds, legendary trait page deeds and quests? Will they now reward trait points? #LOTRO
A37: DeviledEGG Completing these deeds will now reward trait points.
A37a: Jinjaah If you have already completed these deeds, your progress will be carried over. #LOTRO

Q38: @Crappledumpkins Recently chickens & a referee have been spotted at the Hobnanigans field again. Will this event be returning soon?
A38: Amlug WE're working on it. WE have no ETA, but we'd like to see this make a return. #LOTRO

Q39: @leixicon will all trait lines still be auto-unlocked for VIPs? #LOTRO
A39: Hoarsedev Yes they will. #LOTRO

Q40: @JVaughn227 What's being done to address the current in game lag and severity of it?
Q40: Sapience Some changes are going in to address mounted combat lag with Update 11.3.
Q40a: We also continue to add more monitoring tools to help isolate other issues.

Q41: @paspinall42 What about the disparity in the class deeds,, with changes in levels for skills and the like some can complete faster than others.
A41: DeviledEGG We're aware of this issue and we're addressing it. #LOTRO

That's all the time we have today! Thanks for all the great questions. A transcript will be posted to the forums shortly. #LOTRO

Thank you Turbine for doing this chat today. It was very informative, and I just love getting juicy details! The class revamps sound interesting. I'm excited for the individual class dev diaries with pictures!

Q8: Schinderhannes: Will the update allow us to use 4 legendary traits at the same time? #LOTRO
A8: HoarseDev: No, but the ones you have will be more potent. #LOTRO
A8a: Deviled_Egg: Legendary traits are now a part of each trait tree, and are available for purchase at the end of the tree. #LOTRO
A8b: There is also a Legendary Passive bonus that depends on your specialization.#LOTRO
A8c: This will be unlocked when you spend a certain number of points overall. #LOTRO

A little confused on this one. It says legendary traits are "available for purchase" at the end of the tree. Please tell me that's with Skill Points and not Mithril Coins and/or Turbine points...

Q14: Judi: Will there be a new class added to the game? #LOTRO
A14: HoarseDev: Not for Helm’s Deep. #LOTRO

Hmmmmmmmmmm...........

Q20: @osmihu Can you give some specific examples of specializations? #LOTRO
A20: Jinjaah The hunter could choose between the bowmaster or huntsman. #LOTRO
A20a: Huntsman has less range, but can induct on the move. #LOTRO
A20b: Where the bowmaster has much greater range, but must plant his feet to deal damage. #LOTRO

Overall a good first pass of information about the class changes. As a Champion and Captain I am pleased to read that our tanking roles will be pushed to main tank levels. Or at least that's how I read the dev's response. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Looking forward to more information as it gets passed down.

One question I have now that I just thought of, which I didn't see raised or answered pertains to passive class skills. As a Captain it drives me to maximum levels of insanity that I am 2% behind the damage eight ball because I choose to use 2h hammers and not swords or halberds. I would love to see these passive bonus damages removed from classes all together or give me an option to get my 2% extra via a deed or trait point somewhere. Really any class that can inherently equip any given weapon ought to not be penalized for choosing that weapon. Dev's any comment on this?

Devs told Hunters will be able to choose between TWO trait trees (huntsman and bowmasters).
Someone asked later if this was just for hunters or if it was valid to all classes, but they didnt answer.

They also told useless trait lines will be throwed away (like yellow of hunters).

Idk the answer about ur other questions.

That's not entirely true nor accurate. We gave examples not complete listings of trees. Every word we said is in the transcript above so there shouldn't be any ambiguity in what we did or didn't say. It's all right there.

Devs told Hunters will be able to choose between TWO trait trees (huntsman and bowmasters).
Someone asked later if this was just for hunters or if it was valid to all classes, but they didnt answer.

They also told useless trait lines will be throwed away (like yellow of hunters).

Idk the answer about ur other questions.

Originally Posted by Sapience

Q29: @miofli Will certain currently unused trait lines, eg the yellow hunter line, change role? #LOTRO
A29: Jinjaah Traitlines like the hunter's yellow line are being revamped more than others. #LOTRO
A29a: DeviledEGG In general we want each traitline to feel just as good as the next. #LOTRO

And people with the deeds already completed will get the trait points automatically, right?

They might change it like they did with cosmetic LM pets, where the recipe gives you a consumable to learn a skill instead of what it did previously.

And yes, people with the deeds already completed get the trait points automatically.

Originally Posted by BigBack

Overall a good first pass of information about the class changes. As a Champion and Captain I am pleased to read that our tanking roles will be pushed to main tank levels. Or at least that's how I read the dev's response. Please correct me if I am wrong.

That's pretty much how I interpreted it as well, but the "in their own way" still leaves me a little wary.

That's not entirely true nor accurate. We gave examples not complete listings of trees. Every word we said is in the transcript above so there shouldn't be any ambiguity in what we did or didn't say. It's all right there.

Also I asked this during the chat, but never got the answer. What type of consolidation/complete redoing of the traits/skills are being done to make the 20 skills doable for all. The first class that comes to mind is Lore Master. It seems like they will suffer because most of their current skills build on each other and they all serve a purpose.

Also I asked this during the chat, but never got the answer. What type of consolidation/complete redoing of the traits/skills are being done to make the 20 skills doable for all. The first class that comes to mind is Lore Master. It seems like they will suffer along because most of their current skills build on each other.

The biggest issues I could see is potential removal of things like Burning Embers or Cracked Earth, damaging skills that also have some sort of debuff or CC attached. Personally, when I'm DPSing I don't often use too many debuffs, and vice versa. From the chat it seems that while we'll be focused on one section we should still be able to branch a little bit into others, so I'm not too worried. (Basically, I see it as an LM who is specializing in damage will still be able to access a couple of their debuffs, or heals, or pet things, depending on where they throw their points around.)

I could see an option on the tree that has a center skill, then to the left or right are Fire Damage and Light Damage, but you can only choose one, and in order to switch to the other, you would either have to go with another build slot or retrait your current one. Kind of how some of the mount skills work.